


just who are you?

by i_was_human



Category: Lost in Translation (Webcomic)
Genre: Ambiguity, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Dreams, Multi, OT4, i genuinely do not know what this is, i guess?, what is this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:35:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25947436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_was_human/pseuds/i_was_human
Summary: hope?despair?neither?"Who are you?""I'm whoever you want me to be."
Relationships: Ahn Jaewon | Wyld/Kang Dongho | D.Min/Kim Daehyun/Lee Minsoo
Kudos: 16





	just who are you?

**Author's Note:**

> [listen to this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVzB53BK9Xc) while you read

"Do you like it here?"

Daehyun blinks, gaze flitting to the figure to his left. "Ah... where is here?"

The person - _man_ \- smiles, and Daehyun stares at the silver flowers coiling around his ankles. "Here is wherever you want it to be."

Daehyun stares at him for a moment - first at him, then at the backdrop of stars coloring the sky - and he smiles, dropping to take a seat in the flower field. "I'd like this to be a meadow, then."

The man sits, silver hair falling in his eyes as his lips quirk into a half-grin. "Then it is."

He's not dressed lavishly, Daehyun notes - not as lavishly as one would expect from as elegant and magical a setting as this.

"Who are you?"

"I'm whoever you want me to be."

"That's not very helpful."

"I'm told I'm not."

He reaches out to brush a withered flower, and it springs back into full bloom. "Do you know where you are?"

"A meadow," Daehyun dumbly replies, and the man's gaze flits to the distant city, grin fading into an empty stare.

"You're not wrong."

"Who are you?"

"You keep asking that question," the man notes, "but not why I'm here."

"Well, I know you're a guy with silver hair in a meadow."

The man laughs, the flowers rustling around his hips as he does. "You're strange, Kim Daehyun."

"Well, I'm not the one sitting in a meadow and laughing like a weirdo."

"Hm."

The man slides closer, and Daehyun blinks as he reaches forwards to brush strands of hair from his forehead. "You know my name, Daehyun-ah."

"I thought you said you were whoever I wanted you to be."

"And who do you want me to be?"

Daehyun stares at him for a moment, the flowers rustling gently by his side, and he makes his choice.

"Minsoo. Lee Minsoo-hyung."

Minsoo smiles, leaning forwards to press a soft kiss to his forehead. 

Around them, the flowers are rotting.

"What's happening?"

"Possibilities," Minsoo says, the light of the flowers slowly fading. "Stories, choices, endings... all of them disappearing."

"But-"

Minsoo plucks a flower from the earth - one still as bright as before - and threads it through Daehyun's hair, pressing another kiss to his forehead. "You've made your choice, Daehyun-ah. Don't go back on it."

The last flower wilts, and Daehyun falls into darkness.

**_hope?_ **

When Daehyun next opens his eyes, he's sitting at a table.

It's dark, tinny music playing from a jukebox, and as he looks around, a candle springs to life, illuminating the face of the table's other occupant.

Messy dark hair and fox eyes contrast a simple t-shirt and jeans, and the man leans forwards to rest his elbows on the table as thousands of candles flicker to life around them.

"Where am I?"

The man spreads his hands, visibly unimpressed. "Wherever you want to be. Despair, maybe. The bad times. Darkness. A retro diner. I'm not picky."

"Who are you?"

"I thought we've been over this."

"So you're him?"

"Think about it."

The man presses a finger to the space between Daehyun's brows, and he shuts up, gaze fixing on the other man's dark eyes. 

"You know who I am."

Daehyun's gaze flits around the space, taking in each individual candle before his gaze focuses back on the man's face. 

"Why are you here?"

"You know why."

It's dark, Daehyun notes, darker than it should be.

"...what is your name?"

"You know my name."

The man stares at him, dark eyes sharp and severe, and Daehyun blinks, unsure of what to do now that such a deadly gaze is focused on him. "Say it."

The name lingers on the tip of his tongue, and Daehyun catalogs every inch of the man's face, stopping at his lips. 

"...you should smile more, Kang Dongho-hyung."

The man grins, a little grieving, a little wistful.

Around them, the candles start to flicker out, each one disappearing in a moment. Daehyun's gaze flits around the room until a pair of hands grab his, Dongho's dark eyes boring into his face. 

"Where do you think this place is?"

"...it's dark," Daehyun simply replies, and Dongho nods, candle after candle flickering out around them. "But... it wasn't always."

Dongho nods once more, and the last candle extinguishes, plunging them into darkness.

_**despair?** _

Daehyun doesn't bother asking where he is.

Somehow, he knows he won't get an answer.

He's standing in an endless sea of white, nothing to break the monotony but the figure in front of him. _Whitewhitewhitewhitewhite_ then _red_ , the reddest red Daehyun's ever seen.

"Do you know who I am, Kim Daehyun?"

The man steps forwards, a penguin plushie clutched in his hands and a hoodie hanging off his too-small frame. 

Daehyun wants to say yes.

He does.

"You know," the man asserts, taking another step closer. "You've always known."

"What's happening?"

The man takes another step closer until they're millimeters apart, reaching up to brush the petals of the flower. "Minsoo's work," he murmurs, and Daehyun stares at him, eyes wide.

"Do you miss him?" he blurts, and the man smiles - a little small, a little sad. 

"Yes."

Daehyun isn't sure who he's talking about, here.

"What's my name, Daehyun?"

He's dropped the _Kim_ , Daehyun realizes - added a touch of vulnerability to the familiar question.

And Daehyun _knows_ the answer, knows it deep down in his core, but he _doesn't want to leave here_.

"No."

"You know my name," the man murmurs, eyes _sad sad sad_ as his thumb caresses Daehyun's cheek. "I know you do."

"I won't say it."

"Dae..."

And _there's_ that touch of vulnerability, _there's_ that bit of the person Daehyun knows he is.

"Jaewon-"

The room starts to darken, and Jaewon smiles, leaning up to press a kiss to Daehyun's nose. "You've done so well, Dae."

"Jaewon," Daehyun sobs, bending down to gather the older man into his arms, because he _knows now_ , _knows_ what this is and who they are, how could he have _forgotten_ -

"It's okay," Jaewon murmurs, and Daehyun only sobs harder because _he's lying_. "It's okay, Dae."

"Hyung-"

But the room's already fading, turning pitch-black in an instant, and one moment, Jaewon's in his arms, warm and solid and real, and the next, Daehyun's falling.

_**neither?** _

Daehyun opens his eyes to a hospital ceiling and cries.

**Author's Note:**

> minsoo's flower field is inspired by [this](https://64.media.tumblr.com/2fc759191e9843e5f6b58d626c15aa7e/c9fce541ea69164e-32/s500x750/acc8c591b937439017acd8b9190abcd00ed37ea0.png) scene from rebellion
> 
> this isn't part of my fic week, btw - it's just a little oneshot i scribbled bc i got inspired by the song
> 
> [twit](https://twitter.com/i_was_human_) | [lit fic discord!](https://discord.gg/CNunB74)


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